Half an hour later, she stepped out of the room, looking more beautiful than ever. Her hair was freshly washed and pulled back at the nape of her neck. My face froze when I saw the extent of her injuries for the first time. Forcing my voice to sound casual, I asked, “Are you ready to eat?”
She gave me a short nod. “Yeah, I haven’t had a bite all day.”
I wanted to curse under my breath, but I held it together, making a mental note to add an extra beat down when I faced off with Viper.
“Moving forward, when you’re hungry, you tell me or one of the prospects. We’ll make you something right away. Ain’t nobody going hungry at the Dark Slayers clubhouse.”
I meant to sound reassuring, but it must have just come off as weird because she said, “Okkaay. Whatever you say.”
It was clear I had zero credibility with this woman. I brought her back downstairs and kept close enough that she wouldn’t feel abandoned in a room full of strangers. Every set of eyes in the room followed her. Club girls paused mid conversation, and prospects stole glances in her direction. Her back went ramrod straight and she seemed relieved when I stopped at a table in a quiet corner of the room.
“You can sit here,” I told her quietly, pulling the chair out just enough that she could slide into it. She lowered herself into the seat and folded her hands in her lap.
Rosie called out, “What are you drinking, Fuse?”
I asked Winter, “Do you have a drink preference?”
“I’ll just have water.”
“Water? Sure you can do better than that,” I said. Though thinking about it, she was in a strange place so maybe she didn’t want to drink alcohol.
“I’ll have a beer then.”
“Great. I’ll see what I can do,” I said. “Do you want grilled chicken or steak?”
She stared up at me, surprised by another question. “Chicken,” she said decisively.
“Alright. I’ll be right back,” I assured her.
After giving Rosie our drink orders, I began walking towards the back patio where the prospects were grilling. The only thing on my mind at the moment was the big juicy steakwaiting on me. Right before I walked through the back door, something in my gut made me look back and check on Winter. What I saw riled me up like nobody’s business.
One of the club girls slid off her barstool and drifted towards Winter’s table with a martini in her hand. This was honestly my least favorite club girl, Charity. She was new and brazen as hell. I recognized her smirk and the tilt of her chin immediately. It was some kind of fucked up territorial instinct mixed with pettiness and insecurity.
I changed direction without thinking and headed straight back to our table. What I heard along the way made me want to jerk a knot in her ass.
“I heard all about you,” Charity cooed, stopping beside the table. Her voice carried easily because she was puttin’ on a show for everyone. “Word travels fast around here.”
Winter didn’t answer. She sat perfectly still, her hands tightening together in her lap.
The girl leaned closer, lowering her voice just enough to make it personal. “Be careful. Bought girls like you don’t last long around here.”
Rosie appeared at Winter’s side a second later, setting down a glass of something clear and bubbly with a bunch of cherries floating inside, along with my beer. She straightened and fixed Charity with a look that meant business. “Mind your mouth,” Rosie stated sternly before strolling away. “You’ve been around long enough to know better than to get catty with our guests.”
The girl let out a forced laugh. “I was just joking around. Don’t be such a buzzkill.”
Then she leaned down and lowered her voice, just as I came up behind her.
“Don’t get comfortable,” she added, her voice dripping with contempt. “Trash like you gets passed around and then sold to the highest bidder. But you already know that don’t ya?”
Charity spun around on her heel to make a dramatic exit and ran right into me. Her shitty smile disappeared so fast it would have been comical if I weren’t already furious with her.
I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t need to. “You’re done for the weekend,” I told her. “Get the hell out of the clubhouse and don’t come back until next week.”
She blinked. “Fuse, I was just making conversation.”
“Shut it. I heard every damn word you said. You’re banned until Monday,” I repeated calmly. “You step foot back in here before then, I’ll turn it into a ten-day ban.”
Her tone became defensive and annoyed. “You can’t be serious right now?”
